Since human resources expert Sophia Kao Ching-chi was appointed to the Central Policy Unit to oversee appointments last year, all eyes are on Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to see if he is flooding the advisory bodies with his supporters. Kao's appointment drew criticism from the opposition camp, which said appointments were being based on the candidates' loyalty to Leung rather than their ability or expertise. But Karen Tang Shuk-tak, the executive director of pro-Beijing think tank The Better Hong Kong Foundation, thought the case had been exaggerated. Tang, the former deputy director of Leung's campaign office, was recently appointed to the Antiquities Advisory Board despite not having experience in heritage preservation. She said she could not see the board being dominated by Leung's supporters. "When you look at the list carefully, you will see those so-called Leung's supporters are in the minority on the board," she said. "The most important thing is that we can conduct meaningful discussions," she said. "Look at the chairman, Andrew Lam Siu-lo - he is very senior and very experienced in the field." Lam was a key member in Leung's campaign who helped him to formulate his lands and urban planning policy. Joshua But

Despite repeated messages from the central and local governments for the pro-establishment camp to unite, there seems to be a long way to go for the unionists and pro-business parties within the bloc to become friends. At a media lunch on Tuesday, lawmaker Alice Mak Mei-kuen, from Beijing-loyalist Federation of Trade Unions, expressed her discontent with catering sector lawmaker Tommy Cheung Yu-yan and industrial sector lawmaker Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen, from the Liberal Party and the Business and Professionals Alliance, respectively. "I've been trying to be polite and courteous in Legco [since first elected last year]," Mak said. "But sometimes pro-business lawmakers make me feel that they believe we labour unionists know nothing about running businesses … and are only concerned about calling for higher salaries." Mak hinted that she was snubbed by Cheung at a radio show. Tony Cheung